1. Introduction

This section will contain a detail reference of the Dbvisit Standby Configuration (DDC) file variables.

The default settings in a DDC file should work for most environments. Changing or adding new values is not recommended unless you are familiar with the effect of setting these parameters. Testing parameter changes in a test environment are recommended prior to making any changes in production.

On this page:

2. Main Generic Settings

The table below is providing you with a list of the Generic Settings you will find in the Dbvisit Standby Configuration (DDC) file.

Variables are sorted alphabetically in the table below.

Note also that that by design we do not allow editing or adding all variables via the GUI or CLI. The DDC is a plain text file and we recommend add / update / remove values manually as required - in 99% of the cases, this is faster and much easier.

For databases where Dbvisit daemon is used for scheduling archive send and apply, the daemon needs to be restarted after any change to the configuration in DDC file. Any parameter changes made to DDC file will not be effective for the daemon until it is restarted.

Variable Name	Variable Description
DDC_VERSION	Dbvisit Software version number in format 9.x.x The version number is set automatically when creating a new DDC file or when upgrading an existing DDC file to a higher version Example: DDC_VERSION = 9.0.0
ORATAB	If Linux (UNIX) based installations are used this parameter should be configured to point to your Oracle “oratab” file. This file is used by Dbvisit Standby to obtain the Oracle Software installation home (ORACLE_HOME) for the specified ORACLE_SID. On Linux, the default location for this file is /etc/oratab but on other variations of UNIX such as Solars this location can be /var/opt/oracle/oratab Example (Default) value: ORATAB = /etc/oratab
COMPRESS	The compression method is used to compress the (archive) log files. It is recommended to make use of COMPRESS and UNCOMPRESS options, as this can assist with faster network transfer time as fewer data will be transferred between the primary and standby servers. Setting compression using this variable only affects the Archive logs being shipped between the primary and standby servers. The COMPRESS and UNCOMPRESS variables should both be configured to similar compression options. For more details see the UNCOMPRESS variable below Possible values: COMPRESS=dbvisit COMPRESS=/bin/gzip COMPRESS=N Recommended (default) values: Linux: COMPRESS=/bin/gzip Windows: COMPRESS=dbvisit The following compression options are available: Internal Dbvisit Standby Compression (dbvisit) This uses the zlib compression library. Dbvisit Standby will compress the archives on disk first before transferring to the standby server. This will leave the files on the server in a compressed state. Set COMPRESS=dbvisit for Dbvisit Standby internal compression. External Options (/bin/gzip) Note: This option is Linux (Unix) only. For Unix and Linux and alternate external compression method (like gzip or compress) can also be specified. Examples: COMPRESS = /bin/gzip COMPRESS = /usr/bin/compress Note: It is recommended to disable any other compression routines used outside Dbvisit Standby that compress the Oracle (archive) log files. Compression Disabled Use this option if the network speed is sufficiently fast to transfer uncompressed (archive) log files and disk space is sufficient to hold uncompressed files. Set COMPRESS=No for no compression. This is a default value.
UNCOMPRESS	The UNCOMPRESS variable specifies the method that should be used to "uncompress" the archive logs. The method specified for UNCOMPRESS should match similar compression setting as specified for the COMPRESS variable. Possible values: UCOMPRESS=dbvisit UNCOMPRESS=/bin/gunzip UNCOMPRESS=N Recommended (default) values: Linux: COMPRESS=/bin/gunzip Windows: COMPRESS=dbvisit The following un-compress options are available: Internal Dbvisit Standby Compression (dbvisit) This uses the zlib compression library is used to uncompress the archive log files. If COMPRESSION=dbvisit was set, it is required to set the UNCOMPRESS value to "dbvisit" as well. External Options (/bin/gunzip) Note: This option is Linux (Unix) only. For Unix and Linux and alternate external compression methods (like gzip/gunzip or compress/uncompress) can also be specified. Examples: if you specified COMPRESS = /bin/gzip then UNCOMPRESS= /bin/gunzip if you specified COMPRESS = /usr/bin/compress then UNCOMPRESS=/usr/bin/uncompress Compression Disabled Use this option if the network speed is sufficiently fast to transfer uncompressed (archive) log files and disk space is sufficient to hold uncompressed files. Set COMPRESS=N and UNCOMPRESS=N for no compression/uncompression. This is a default value.
ZIP_EXTENSION	The extension of the compressed file. This depends on the compression method used. In most cases this is either: .gz (for gzip and Dbvisit Standby internal compression) .Z (for compress) Example (default): ZIP_EXTENSION = .gz
DB_NAME	This parameter must match Oracle database parameter db_name. Example: DB_NAME = PROD

3. Primary Server Settings

This section is specific to the Primary Server settings used in the Dbvisit Standby Configuration file.

Variables are sorted alphabetically in the table below

Variable Name	Variable Description
PATH	The path to the server environment. The default settings should be fine for most environments and these values should not be changed unless instructed by Dbvisit Support. Windows (default) example: PATH = C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\system32 Linux (default) example: PATH = /usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/sbin
DBVISIT_BASE	Dbvisit software installation directory, also known as the DBVISIT_BASE directory. Example (Linux Default): DBVISIT_BASE = /usr/dbvisit Example (Windows Default): DBVISIT_BASE = c:\Program Files\dbvisit
SOURCE	The primary server on which the primary database is installed. Dbvisit Standby software must be installed on this server. In a RAC environment use the name of a virtual server. Example: SOURCE = dbvlin101
ORACLE_HOME	Specify the Oracle Home of the primary database Example: ORACLE_HOME = /u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0/prod
ORACLE_SID	Name of the Oracle instance on the primary server in a single instance environment. Leave empty in a RAC environment. An example in a single instance environment: ORACLE_SID = PROD Example when configured in RAC environment: ORACLE_SID =
ORACLE_SID_ASM	Specifies the name of the ASM instance on the primary server in a single instance environment - if the primary database uses ASM. If the primary database does not use ASM, leave empty. Leave empty in a RAC environment. Example (when using single instance environment running ASM): ORACLE_SID_ASM = +ASM Example (RAC): ORACLE_SID_ASM =
LOGSWITCH	Determines if a database log switch - "alter system switch logfile" should be performed every time Dbvisit Standby executes on the primary database. A database log switch will start the background process to archive the current redo log. Possible Values: N (default value) Dbvisit Standby will perform a database log switch ONLY when there are no new archive logs to transfer. If Dbvisit Standby is executed and an Archive log was generated since the last run, no log switch will be performed and the already created archive log will be transferred to the standby database. If no archive logs have been created since the last Dbvisit Standby execution, a log switch will be forced to start the generation of an archive log to be transferred. Y Dbvisit Standby will perform a database log switch every time it executes. I(ignore) Dbvisit Standby will never perform a database log switch. Use this option with caution as Dbvisit Standby will not be able to guarantee how far behind in time the standby database is. Only when Oracle performs a database log switch will Dbvisit Standby transfer the current archived redo log to the standby database. If you are not sure, set to the default value which is "N". Example: LOGSWITCH = N
ARCHSOURCE	A file system location on the primary server where archive logs will be transferred if this server becomes a standby one as a result of Graceful Switchover. Prior to Graceful Switchover Dbvisit does not utilize this parameter. Example: ARCHSOURCE = /u01/app/oracle/dbvisit/archive/PROD If using ASM storage for the primary database, this will also be the directory on the primary server where Dbvisit Standby will extract the ASM archive log files to, before shipping them to the standby server. Also, the ARCHTMP location must have full read/write permission for the user and group when ASM is used.
DB_UNIQUE_NAME	This parameter must match Oracle database parameter db_unique_name set in the primary database Example: DB_UNIQUE_NAME = PROD

4. Standby Server Settings

This section is specific to the Standby Server settings in the Dbvisit Standby Configuration (DDC) file.

Variables are sorted alphabetically in the table below

Variable Name	Meaning
DBVISIT_BASE_DR	Dbvisit software installation directory. This is also known as the DBVISIT_BASE directory. Example (Linux): DBVISIT_BASE = /usr/dbvisit Example (Windows): DBVISIT_BASE = c:\Program Files\dbvisit
DESTINATION	Standby server on which the standby database is installed. Dbvisit Standby software must be installed on this server. In a RAC environment use the name of a virtual server. Example: DESTINATION = dbvlin102
ORACLE_HOME_DR	Specify the Oracle Home of the standby database Example: ORACLE_HOME_DR = /u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0/prod
ORACLE_SID_DR	Name of the Oracle instance on the standby server in a single instance environment. Leave empty in a RAC environment. Example in a single instance environment: ORACLE_SID_DR = PRODDR Example when configured in RAC environment: ORACLE_SID_DR =
ORACLE_SID_ASM_DR	Specifies the name of the ASM instance on the standby server in a single instance environment if the standby database uses ASM. If the standby database does not use ASM, leave empty. Leave empty in a RAC environment. Example (when using single instance environment running ASM): ORACLE_SID_ASM_DR = +ASM Example (RAC): ORACLE_SID_ASM_DR =
NETPORT	Network listener port number. When using Dbvnet default port number is 7890. When using ssh default port number is 22. Example: NETPORT = 7890 NETPORT = 22 Note: If using SSH, it must be configured using password-less authentication.
ARCHDEST	This directory is extremely important to Dbvisit Standby and should not be mistaken for the Oracle Database archive destination or recovery area. This location is used only by Dbvisit Standby and should never be the same location as any of the Oracle database archive destinations or the recovery area (FRA). This location (directory) should exist on the standby database server and should have sufficient space to hold at least 1 days worth of archive logs with 3 or more days recommended. Note this does not have to be the same location as the log_archive_dest or log_archive_dest_<n> parameter in the database. This is where Dbvisit Standby will place archive log files on the standby server from where they will be applied. If you need to use a location to temporary copy archives different from the location on the standby server specified by ARCHDEST, you may specify a different location using ARCHTMP variable Please ensure this directory is not used for any other files other than (archive) log files for this specific database. Example: ARCHDEST = /u01/app/oracle/dbvisit/archive/PROD Where PROD is the name of the database Please note that the Archive Logs from the primary server will be copied to the ARCHDEST location on the standby server. During this process the archive logs will be renamed to the following format: <STANDBY_ARCHIVELOG_NAME> which is by default '%t_%s_%r.arc' %t thread number %s sequence number %r resetlogs_id example: 1_45628_ 812975118.arc ARCHDEST location cannot be a CIFS location (For eg : cannot specify as \\server_name\share) like a windows share mount.
LEAVE_COMPRESS_DR	Specifies whether the archive log files should be left compressed or not on the standby server AFTER being applied on the standby database. Possible Values: Y Compress log AFTER being applied N Leave log uncompressed AFTER being applied If you are not sure, set to N (default). Example: LEAVE_COMPRESS_DR = Y
DB_UNIQUE_NAME_DR	This parameter must match Oracle database parameter db_unique_name set in the standby database Example: DB_UNIQUE_NAME_DR = PRODDR

5. E-Mail Settings

5.1. General E-mail Configuration Variables

Variable Name	Meaning
SEND_MAIL_FLAG	Set to Y for Dbvisit to send emails from the primary server. The default is N. Examples: SEND_MAIL_FLAG = Y
SEND_MAIL_FLAG_DR	Set to Y for Dbvisit to send emails from the standby server. The default is N. Examples: SEND_MAIL_FLAG_DR = Y
ADMINS	This variable holds the administrator email address where emails will be sent upon success or failure of Dbvisit Standby. Multiple emails should be separated with a comma (,). Also, see SUCCESS_MAILTO. Examples: ADMINS = alert@mycompany.com ADMINS = alert@mycompany.com,dba@mycompany.com
SUCCESSMAIL	Specifies when Dbvisit Standby should send an email from the primary server. Possible Values: Y (default value) Every time Dbvisit Standby is run an email will be sent. N Only when an error occurs or a threshold is exceeded will an email be sent. Example (default) value: SUCCESSMAIL = Y
SUCCESSMAIL_DR	Specifies when Dbvisit Standby should send an email from the standby server. Possible Values: Y (default value) Every time Dbvisit Standby is run an email will be sent. N Only when an error occurs or a threshold is exceeded will an email be sent. Example (default) value: SUCCESSMAIL_DR = Y
MAILCFG_FROM	Specifies the FROM email address of the primary server. If this is not specified, the emails may not arrive. Note that if you are using SSL/TLS SMTP server, the username used for the Authentication will become the FROM address. Example: MAILCFG_FROM = oracledba@dbvlin101.dbvisit.com
MAILCFG_FROM_DR	Specifies the FROM email address of the standby server. If this is not specified, the emails may not arrive. Note that if you are using SSL/TLS SMTP server, the username used for the Authentication will become the FROM address. Example: MAILCFG_FROM_DR = oracledba@dbvlin102.dbvisit.com
MAILCFG_SMTP_SERVER	Specifies the SMTP server to send the email to. Is only used if the mail client is Dbvisit. Is not required when the mail client is Sendmail. Examples: If you are using Linux or Unix based systems, you can specify the SMTP server to be the localhost if it is allowed to relay email: MAILCFG_SMTP_SERVER = localhost If you have a specific SMTP server, please specify it here. The default port used is 25 if you are using a different port make sure you update the MAILCFG_PORT parameter. MAILCFG_SMTP_SERVER = smtp.example.com MAILCFG_SMTP_SERVER = mail.example.com If you are using GMAIL (SSL/TLS) make sure that you specify MAILCFG_PROTOCOL=SSL and MAILCFG_PORT=465 (which is the default Gmail SMTP port) and make sure that you also specify your MAILCFG_AUTH_USER and MAILCFG_AUTH_PASSWD. Note that the MAILCFG_AUTH_USER will become the FROM email address. MAILCFG_SMTP_SERVER = smtp.gmail.com
MAILCFG_SMTP_SERVER_DR	Optional SMTP mail server for the standby server. Only used if SMTP mail server for the standby server differs from the main SMTP mail server (MAILCFG_SMTP_SERVER). Examples: If you are using Linux or Unix based systems, you can specify the SMTP server to be the localhost, if it is allowed to relay email: MAILCFG_SMTP_SERVER = localhost If you have a specific SMTP server, please specify it here. The default port used is 25 if you are using a different port make sure you update the MAILCFG_PORT parameter. MAILCFG_SMTP_SERVER = smtp.example.com MAILCFG_SMTP_SERVER = mail.example.com If you are using GMAIL (SSL/TLS) make sure that you specify MAILCFG_PROTOCOL=SSL and MAILCFG_PORT=465 (which is the default Gmail SMTP port) and make sure that you also specify your MAILCFG_AUTH_USER and MAILCFG_AUTH_PASSWD. Note that the MAILCFG_AUTH_USER will become the FROM email address. MAILCFG_SMTP_SERVER = smtp.gmail.com

5.2. Advanced Mail Settings

This section will cover the more advanced E-mail configuration settings available in the Dbvisit Standby configuration file (DDC).

Variable Name	Meaning
MAILCFG_AUTH_USER	This parameter is used to specify a username required for SMTP authentication (username) on the primary server. Examples: MAILCFG_AUTH_USER=<your_username> MAILCFG_AUTH_USER=admin
MAILCFG_AUTH_USER_DR	This parameter is used to specify a username required for SMTP authentication (username) on the standby server Examples: MAILCFG_AUTH_USER_DR=<your_username> MAILCFG_AUTH_USER_DR=admin
_MAILCFG_AUTH_PASSWD	This variable is used to specify the password required for SMTP authentication (password) on the primary server Example: _MAILCFG_AUTH_PASSWD=<your_password> _MAILCFG_AUTH_PASSWD=adminpassword
_MAILCFG_AUTH_PASSWD_DR	This variable is used to specify the password required for SMTP authentication (password) on the standby server Example: _MAILCFG_AUTH_PASSWD_DR=<your_password> _MAILCFG_AUTH_PASSWD_DR=adminpassword
MAILCFG_CC	Specify email address you want to cc Dbvisit Standby email alerts to. Example: MAILCFG_CC=admin@example.com
MAILCFG_BCC	Specify email address you want to bcc Dbvisit Standby email alerts to. Example: MAILCFG_BCC=admin@example.com
MAILCFG_ATTACH_TRACEFILE	This parameter is used to specify whether to attach trace files to error emails so that these can be forwarded to Dbvisit support. Possible Values: Y (Default) Attach trace files with error email. N Trace files are not attached with error email. It is advisable to initially set to Yes Example: MAILCFG_ATTACH_TRACEFILE=Y
MAILCFG_ATTACH_TRACEFILE_MAX_SIZE_IN_BYTES	This variable is used to specify a file size limit to attaching the trace file. Example: MAILCFG_ATTACH_TRACEFILE_MAX_SIZE_IN_BYTES = 768000
MAILCFG_PORT	This parameter allows you to specify another SMTP port on the primary server if the default is not used. Example: MAILCFG_PORT=25 If using GMAIL, make sure that you specify the correct port. The default is MAILCFG_PORT=465 for GMAIL SMTP server.
MAILCFG_PORT_DR	This parameter allows you to specify another SMTP port on the standby server if the default is not used. Example: MAILCFG_PORT_DR=25 If using GMAIL, make sure that you specify the correct port. The default is MAILCFG_PORT=465 for GMAIL SMTP server.
MAILCFG_DEBUG	Turn on smtp debug messages in the trace files. Possible values are 0 (default) or 1 (enable debug) Example: MAILCFG_DEBUG=1
MAILCFG_TIME_OUT	This parameter allows the option to specify SMTP timeout in seconds. Example (default) value: MAILCFG_TIME_OUT=60
MAILCFG_PROTOCOL	This parameter should only be set if SSL/TLS is used. Example, for Gmail (smtp.gmail.com) you can specify: MAILCFG_PROTOCOL=SSL If you are not using SSL/TLS, do not set this parameter in your DDC. If it is set to make sure it does not have any values assigned: MAILCFG_PROTOCOL=
SUCCESS_MAILTO	This is used to separate the success emails from the failure emails. If set, then all successful Dbvisit Standby emails will be sent to this email address. Failure or unsuccessful emails will be sent to the email address specified by ADMINS. If not set, then all emails will go to ADMINS. Example: SUCCESS_MAILTO=success@mycompany.com
EMAIL_LOG_GAP_REPORT	Determines if the Dbvisit Standby log gap report will be emailed. When Dbvisit Standby is run with the inspect command (dbvisit -i) the Dbvisit Standby log gap report will be displayed. Setting this to Yes will email this report to the email address specified by ADMINS. The Dbvisit Standby log gap report will always be written to the Dbvisit Standby Database Repository (DDR). Possible Values: Y (Default Value) Email the Dbvisit Standby log gap report to the email address specified by ADMINS. N Do not email the Dbvisit Standby log gap report. Example: EMAIL_LOG_GAP_REPORT=Y
MAILSUBJECT_PREFIX_HEARTBEAT	This variable can be used to set a prefix for the email subject line. This can then be used to set filtering rules for emails. MAILSUBJECT_PREFIX_HEARTBEAT is for the Dbvisit Standby heartbeat email. Example: MAILSUBJECT_PREFIX_LOG_GAP_REPORT=51 The result will be: "51 - Dbvisit report for PRODB: Transfer log gap: 0 Archive log gap: 0"
MAILSUBJECT_PREFIX_LOG_GAP_REPORT	This variable can be used to set a prefix for the email subject line. This can then be used to set filtering rules for emails. MAILSUBJECT_PREFIX_HEARTBEAT is for the Dbvisit Standby Log Gap Report email. Example: MAILSUBJECT_PREFIX_LOG_GAP_REPORT=52
MAILSUBJECT_PREFIX_SUCCESSFUL	This variable can be used to set a prefix for the email subject line. This can then be used to set filtering rules for emails. MAILSUBJECT_PREFIX_SUCCESSFUL is for the Dbvisit Standby Succesful email. Example: MAILSUBJECT_PREFIX_LOG_GAP_REPORT=53
SEND_HEARTBEAT	Determines if a daily heartbeat message is sent to ensure Dbvisit Standby is still scheduled on the primary server. Possible Values: Y Dbvisit Standby sends daily heartbeat email (default) N Dbvisit Standby will not send daily heartbeat email. If set to No, you must have an alternative method to ensure Dbvisit Standby is processing is active. Example: SEND_HEARTBEAT = N
SEND_HEARTBEAT_DR	Determines if a daily heartbeat message is sent to ensure Dbvisit Standby is still scheduled on the standby server. Possible Values: Y Dbvisit Standby sends daily heartbeat email (default) N Dbvisit Standby will not send daily heartbeat email. If set to No, you must have an alternative method to ensure Dbvisit Standby is processing is active. Example: SEND_HEARTBEAT_DR = N
SEND_LOG_GAP_WITH_HEARTBEAT	Possible Values: Y Include the Dbvisit Standby log gap report in the daily heartbeat email that is sent from the primary server. N Do not include the Dbvisit Standby log gap report in the daily heartbeat email. Default value: Y Example: SEND_LOG_GAP_WITH_HEARTBEAT=Y
IGNORE_MAIL_ERROR	Note: This parameter was introduced in 8.0.12 Possible Values: Y: Email errors will be ignored and just logged to trace file, instead of error out on email related errors - this ensures that processing can still continue even if there are issues with email configuration. Example if the mail server is down, and you do not want emails failures to cause dbvisit to not finish execution, set this parameter to Y N: Default value - This parameter is not set in the DDC file by default, but the default value used is N - which means any email errors will cause processing to stop at the email processing step. Example, with SUCCESSMAIL=Y and email server wrongly defined, an error will be displayed - with a default value of IGNORE_MAIL_ERROR=N [oracle@kiwi701 /usr/dbvisit/standby]$ ./dbvctl -d DEVFS ============================================================= Dbvisit Standby Database Technology (8.0.11.18813) (pid 11933) dbvctl started on kiwi701: Tue Mar 28 16:58:08 2017 ============================================================= >>> Obtaining information from standby database (RUN_INSPECT=Y)... done Note FORCE_LOGGING is disabled in the primary database. >>> Transferring Log file(s) from DEV on kiwi701 to kiwi703 for thread 1: thread 1 sequence 7 (thread_1_seq_7.323.939831525) Dbvisit Standby terminated... Error Code: 2058 Cannot connect to SMTP server asdf on port 25: Net::SMTP: Bad hostname 'asdf' .Please check MAILCFG_SMTP_SERVER and MAILCFG_PORT settings in Dbvisit Database configuration (DDC) file dbv_DEVFS.env. Tracefile from server: kiwi701 (PID:11933) 11933_dbvctl_DEVFS_201703281658.trc If IGNORE_MAIL_ERROR=Y is set the processing will continue as below and the error will only be logged in the trace file. [oracle@kiwi701 /usr/dbvisit/standby]$ ./dbvctl -d DEVFS ============================================================= Dbvisit Standby Database Technology (8.0.11.18813) (pid 12000) dbvctl started on kiwi701: Tue Mar 28 17:00:15 2017 ============================================================= >>> Obtaining information from standby database (RUN_INSPECT=Y)... done Note FORCE_LOGGING is disabled in the primary database. Performing a log switch... >>> Transferring Log file(s) from DEV on kiwi701 to kiwi703 for thread 1: thread 1 sequence 8 (thread_1_seq_8.324.939834017) ============================================================= dbvctl ended on kiwi701: Tue Mar 28 17:00:21 2017 =============================================================
ERROR_MAILTO	Note: This parameter is available only from Dbvisit Standby Release 9.0.18 This parameter redirects error messages to a particular email id specified. If the parameter is left blank (No email id specified), the email by default is sent to the email id's specified in ADMIN parameter.
ALERT_MAILTO	Note: This parameter is available only from Dbvisit Standby Release 9.0.18 This parameter redirects Alert messages to the mail id specified. If not by default it is sent to ADMIN mail ID.
LOG_GAP_REPORT_MAILTO	Note: This parameter is available only from Dbvisit Standby Release 9.0.18 The log gap reports are sent to the email id specified in this parameter. If the parameter is left blank(No email id specified), the email by default is sent to the email id's specified in ADMIN. EMAIL_LOG_GAP_REPORT must be set to Y for this parameter to be effective.
HEARTBEAT_MAILTO	Note: This parameter is available only from Dbvisit Standby Release 9.0.18 The heartbeat emails are redirected to the email id specified in this parameter. If the parameter is left blank (No email id specified), the email by default is sent to the email id's specified in ADMIN parameter. The SEND_HEARBEAT and SEND_HEARTBEAT_DR must be set to Y

Variable Name

Meaning

MAILCFG_AUTH_USER

This parameter is used to specify a username required for SMTP authentication (username) on the primary server.

Examples:

MAILCFG_AUTH_USER=<your_username>

MAILCFG_AUTH_USER=admin

MAILCFG_AUTH_USER_DR

This parameter is used to specify a username required for SMTP authentication (username) on the standby server

Examples:

MAILCFG_AUTH_USER_DR=<your_username>

MAILCFG_AUTH_USER_DR=admin

_MAILCFG_AUTH_PASSWD

This variable is used to specify the password required for SMTP authentication (password) on the primary server

Example:

_MAILCFG_AUTH_PASSWD=<your_password>

_MAILCFG_AUTH_PASSWD=adminpassword

_MAILCFG_AUTH_PASSWD_DR

This variable is used to specify the password required for SMTP authentication (password) on the standby server

Example:

_MAILCFG_AUTH_PASSWD_DR=<your_password>

_MAILCFG_AUTH_PASSWD_DR=adminpassword

MAILCFG_CC

Specify email address you want to cc Dbvisit Standby email alerts to.

Example:

MAILCFG_CC=admin@example.com

MAILCFG_BCC

Specify email address you want to bcc Dbvisit Standby email alerts to.

Example:

MAILCFG_BCC=admin@example.com

MAILCFG_ATTACH_TRACEFILE

This parameter is used to specify whether to attach trace files to error emails so that these can be forwarded to Dbvisit support.

Possible Values:

Y (Default)
Attach trace files with error email.
N
Trace files are not attached with error email.

It is advisable to initially set to Yes

Example:

MAILCFG_ATTACH_TRACEFILE=Y

MAILCFG_ATTACH_TRACEFILE_MAX_SIZE_IN_BYTES

This variable is used to specify a file size limit to attaching the trace file.

Example:

MAILCFG_ATTACH_TRACEFILE_MAX_SIZE_IN_BYTES = 768000

MAILCFG_PORT

This parameter allows you to specify another SMTP port on the primary server if the default is not used.

Example:

MAILCFG_PORT=25

If using GMAIL, make sure that you specify the correct port. The default is MAILCFG_PORT=465 for GMAIL SMTP server.

MAILCFG_PORT_DR

This parameter allows you to specify another SMTP port on the standby server if the default is not used.

Example:

MAILCFG_PORT_DR=25

If using GMAIL, make sure that you specify the correct port. The default is MAILCFG_PORT=465 for GMAIL SMTP server.

MAILCFG_DEBUG

Turn on smtp debug messages in the trace files. Possible values are 0 (default) or 1 (enable debug)

Example:

MAILCFG_DEBUG=1

MAILCFG_TIME_OUT

This parameter allows the option to specify SMTP timeout in seconds.

Example (default) value:

MAILCFG_TIME_OUT=60

MAILCFG_PROTOCOL

This parameter should only be set if SSL/TLS is used.

Example, for Gmail (smtp.gmail.com) you can specify:

MAILCFG_PROTOCOL=SSL

If you are not using SSL/TLS, do not set this parameter in your DDC. If it is set to make sure it does not have any values assigned:

MAILCFG_PROTOCOL=

SUCCESS_MAILTO

This is used to separate the success emails from the failure emails. If set, then all successful Dbvisit Standby emails will be sent to this email address.

Failure or unsuccessful emails will be sent to the email address specified by ADMINS. If not set, then all emails will go to ADMINS.

Example:

SUCCESS_MAILTO=success@mycompany.com

EMAIL_LOG_GAP_REPORT

Determines if the Dbvisit Standby log gap report will be emailed. When Dbvisit Standby is run with the inspect command (dbvisit -i) the Dbvisit Standby log gap report will be displayed.

Setting this to Yes will email this report to the email address specified by ADMINS. The Dbvisit Standby log gap report will always be written to the Dbvisit Standby Database Repository (DDR).

Possible Values:

Y (Default Value)
Email the Dbvisit Standby log gap report to the email address specified by ADMINS.
N
Do not email the Dbvisit Standby log gap report.

Example:

EMAIL_LOG_GAP_REPORT=Y

MAILSUBJECT_PREFIX_HEARTBEAT

This variable can be used to set a prefix for the email subject line. This can then be used to set filtering rules for emails.

MAILSUBJECT_PREFIX_HEARTBEAT is for the Dbvisit Standby heartbeat email.

Example:

MAILSUBJECT_PREFIX_LOG_GAP_REPORT=51

The result will be:

"51 - Dbvisit report for PRODB: Transfer log gap: 0 Archive log gap: 0"

MAILSUBJECT_PREFIX_LOG_GAP_REPORT

This variable can be used to set a prefix for the email subject line. This can then be used to set filtering rules for emails.

MAILSUBJECT_PREFIX_HEARTBEAT is for the Dbvisit Standby Log Gap Report email.

Example:

MAILSUBJECT_PREFIX_LOG_GAP_REPORT=52

MAILSUBJECT_PREFIX_SUCCESSFUL

This variable can be used to set a prefix for the email subject line. This can then be used to set filtering rules for emails.

MAILSUBJECT_PREFIX_SUCCESSFUL is for the Dbvisit Standby Succesful email.

Example:

MAILSUBJECT_PREFIX_LOG_GAP_REPORT=53

SEND_HEARTBEAT

Determines if a daily heartbeat message is sent to ensure Dbvisit Standby is still scheduled on the primary server.

Possible Values:

Y
Dbvisit Standby sends daily heartbeat email (default)
N
Dbvisit Standby will not send daily heartbeat email.

If set to No, you must have an alternative method to ensure Dbvisit Standby is processing is active.

Example:

SEND_HEARTBEAT = N

SEND_HEARTBEAT_DR

Determines if a daily heartbeat message is sent to ensure Dbvisit Standby is still scheduled on the standby server.

Possible Values:

Y
Dbvisit Standby sends daily heartbeat email (default)
N
Dbvisit Standby will not send daily heartbeat email.

If set to No, you must have an alternative method to ensure Dbvisit Standby is processing is active.

Example:

SEND_HEARTBEAT_DR = N

SEND_LOG_GAP_WITH_HEARTBEAT

Possible Values:

Y
Include the Dbvisit Standby log gap report in the daily heartbeat email that is sent from the primary server.
N
Do not include the Dbvisit Standby log gap report in the daily heartbeat email.

Default value: Y

Example:

SEND_LOG_GAP_WITH_HEARTBEAT=Y

IGNORE_MAIL_ERROR

Note: This parameter was introduced in 8.0.12

Possible Values:

Y: Email errors will be ignored and just logged to trace file, instead of error out on email related errors - this ensures that processing can still continue even if there are issues with email configuration. Example if the mail server is down, and you do not want emails failures to cause dbvisit to not finish execution, set this parameter to Y

N: Default value - This parameter is not set in the DDC file by default, but the default value used is N - which means any email errors will cause processing to stop at the email processing step.

Example, with SUCCESSMAIL=Y and email server wrongly defined, an error will be displayed - with a default value of IGNORE_MAIL_ERROR=N

[oracle@kiwi701 /usr/dbvisit/standby]$ ./dbvctl -d DEVFS
=============================================================
Dbvisit Standby Database Technology (8.0.11.18813) (pid 11933)
dbvctl started on kiwi701: Tue Mar 28 16:58:08 2017
=============================================================
>>> Obtaining information from standby database (RUN_INSPECT=Y)... done
Note FORCE_LOGGING is disabled in the primary database.
>>> Transferring Log file(s) from DEV on kiwi701 to kiwi703 for thread 1:
thread 1 sequence 7 (thread_1_seq_7.323.939831525)
Dbvisit Standby terminated...
Error Code: 2058
Cannot connect to SMTP server asdf on port 25: Net::SMTP: Bad hostname 'asdf'
.Please check MAILCFG_SMTP_SERVER and MAILCFG_PORT settings in Dbvisit Database
configuration (DDC) file dbv_DEVFS.env.
Tracefile from server: kiwi701 (PID:11933)
11933_dbvctl_DEVFS_201703281658.trc

If IGNORE_MAIL_ERROR=Y is set the processing will continue as below and the error will only be logged in the trace file.

[oracle@kiwi701 /usr/dbvisit/standby]$ ./dbvctl -d DEVFS
=============================================================
Dbvisit Standby Database Technology (8.0.11.18813) (pid 12000)
dbvctl started on kiwi701: Tue Mar 28 17:00:15 2017
=============================================================
>>> Obtaining information from standby database (RUN_INSPECT=Y)... done
Note FORCE_LOGGING is disabled in the primary database.
 Performing a log switch...

>>> Transferring Log file(s) from DEV on kiwi701 to kiwi703 for thread 1:
thread 1 sequence 8 (thread_1_seq_8.324.939834017)
=============================================================
dbvctl ended on kiwi701: Tue Mar 28 17:00:21 2017
=============================================================

ERROR_MAILTO

Note: This parameter is available only from Dbvisit Standby Release 9.0.18

This parameter redirects error messages to a particular email id specified. If the parameter is left blank (No email id specified), the email by default is sent to the email id's specified in ADMIN parameter.

ALERT_MAILTO

Note: This parameter is available only from Dbvisit Standby Release 9.0.18

This parameter redirects Alert messages to the mail id specified. If not by default it is sent to ADMIN mail ID.

LOG_GAP_REPORT_MAILTO

Note: This parameter is available only from Dbvisit Standby Release 9.0.18

The log gap reports are sent to the email id specified in this parameter. If the parameter is left blank(No email id specified), the email by default is sent to the email id's specified in ADMIN.

EMAIL_LOG_GAP_REPORT must be set to Y for this parameter to be effective.

HEARTBEAT_MAILTO

Note: This parameter is available only from Dbvisit Standby Release 9.0.18

The heartbeat emails are redirected to the email id specified in this parameter. If the parameter is left blank (No email id specified), the email by default is sent to the email id's specified in ADMIN parameter. The SEND_HEARBEAT and SEND_HEARTBEAT_DR must be set to Y

6. Oracle RAC Specific Settings

The section below is listing settings that should only be configured when implementing Dbvisit Standby on an Oracle RAC environment.

Variables are sorted alphabetically in the table below

Variable Name	Meaning
RAC1	Holds configuration information about the first primary RAC node in the format: <thread#>:<host name>:<oracle_sid>:<oracle sid asm> where thread# - thread number associated with the node hostname - hostname of the node oracle sid - Oracle instance name running on the node oracle sid asm - Oracle ASM instance name running on the node Example: RAC1 = 1:server1:PROD1:+ASM1
RAC2	Holds configuration information about the second primary RAC node in format: <thread#>:<host name>:<oracle_sid>:<oracle sid asm> where thread# - thread number associated with the node host name - hostname of the node oracle sid - Oracle instance name running on the node oracle sid asm - Oracle ASM instance name running on the node Example: RAC2 = 2:server2:PROD2:+ASM2
RAC3	Holds configuration information about the third primary RAC node (if any) in the format: <thread#>:<host name>:<oracle_sid>:<oracle sid asm> where thread# - thread number associated with the node hostname - hostname of the node oracle sid - Oracle instance name running on the node oracle sid asm - Oracle ASM instance name running on the node Example: RAC3 = 3:server3:PROD3:+ASM3
RAC4	Holds configuration information about the fourth primary RAC node (if any) in the format: <thread#>:<host name>:<oracle_sid>:<oracle sid asm> where thread# - thread number associated with the node hostname - hostname of the node oracle sid - Oracle instance name running on the node oracle sid asm - Oracle ASM instance name running on the node Example: RAC4 = 4:server4:PROD4:+ASM4
RAC5	Holds configuration information about the fifth primary RAC node (if any) in the format: <thread#>:<host name>:<oracle_sid>:<oracle sid asm> where thread# - thread number associated with the node hostname - hostname of the node oracle sid - Oracle instance name running on the node oracle sid asm - Oracle ASM instance name running on the node Example: RAC5 = 5:server5:PROD5:+ASM5
RAC1_DR	Holds configuration information about the first standby RAC node in the format: <thread#>:<host name>:<oracle_sid>:<oracle sid asm> where thread# - thread number associated with the node hostname - hostname of the node oracle sid - Oracle instance name running on the node oracle sid asm - Oracle ASM instance name running on the node Example: RAC1_DR = 1:server1:PROD1:+ASM1
RAC2_DR	Holds configuration information about the second standby RAC node in the format: <thread#>:<host name>:<oracle_sid>:<oracle sid asm> where thread# - thread number associated with the node hostname - hostname of the node oracle sid - Oracle instance name running on the node oracle sid asm - Oracle ASM instance name running on the node Example: RAC2_DR = 2:server2:PROD2:+ASM2
RAC3_DR	Holds configuration information about the third standby RAC node (if any) in the format: <thread#>:<host name>:<oracle_sid>:<oracle sid asm> where thread# - thread number associated with the node hostname - hostname of the node oracle sid - Oracle instance name running on the node oracle sid asm - Oracle ASM instance name running on the node Example: RAC3_DR = 3:server3:PROD3:+ASM3
RAC4_DR	Holds configuration information about the fourth standby RAC node (if any) in the format: <thread#>:<host name>:<oracle_sid>:<oracle sid asm> where thread# - thread number associated with the node hostname - hostname of the node oracle sid - Oracle instance name running on the node oracle sid asm - Oracle ASM instance name running on the node Example: RAC4_DR = 4:server4:PROD4:+ASM4
RAC5_DR	Holds configuration information about the fifth standby RAC node (if any) in the format: <thread#>:<host name>:<oracle_sid>:<oracle sid asm> where thread# - thread number associated with the node hostname - hostname of the node oracle sid - Oracle instance name running on the node oracle sid asm - Oracle ASM instance name running on the node Example: RAC5_DR = 5:server5:PROD5:+ASM5

7. Dbvisit Standby AMM Settings

This section will provide more information regarding the Dbvisit Standby Archivelog Management Module (AMM).

By default in Dbvisit Standby version 8 when creating a new DDC file the AMM option for the Primary Database will be disabled, but it will be enabled by default for the standby database.

7.1. Primary Database - AMM Settings

This section provides an overview of the variables that can be configured for the AMM module with regards to the Primary Database.

Variable Name	Meaning
ARCHSOURCE_MANAGEMENT	Specify if the AMM module to manage the archive log files are turned on or off on the primary server. Possible Values: Y Enable the AMM module on the primary server. N (default) Disable the AMM module on the primary server. Example: ARCHSOURCE_MANAGEMENT= Y
DAYS_TO_KEEP_ARCHSOURCE	Specify the number of days to keep the Oracle log files on the primary server. If this value (in days) is reached, the log files will be removed from the server. To disable this setting, set to 0, if you are not sure, set to 7. Make sure you have sufficient disk space to store the archive logs. See also the ARCHDEST parameter under the standby server variable section for more detail Example: DAYS_TO_KEEP_ARCHSOURCE = 7
NUM_ARCHSOURCE_TO_KEEP	Specifies the number of archive log files to keep on the primary server. Log files greater than this number will be removed (oldest first). To disable this setting, set to 0. If you are not sure, set to 0 (disable). Example: NUM_ARCHSOURCE_TO_KEEP = 0
ARCHSOURCE_BACKUP_COUNT	Specify the number of times an archive log has to be backed up by RMAN before Dbvisit Standby deletes it from the primary server. To disable this setting, set to 0 which is the default value. Example: ARCHSOURCE_BACKUP_COUNT = 0
THRESHOLD_ARCHSOURCE	Specifies the threshold in percentage (%) of how much disk space may be taken up by the archive log files on disk before an alert is triggered on the primary server. A value of 80 means at 80% space threshold is reached, an alert will be triggered. Please specify threshold as an integer. Example: THRESHOLD_ARCHSOURCE = 80
FRA_THRESHOLD_ARCHSOURCE	Specifies the threshold in percentage (%) of how much FRA (flash/fast recovery area) space may be taken up by the archive log files on disk before an alert is triggered on the primary server. A value of 80 means at 80% FRA space threshold is reached, an alert will be triggered. Please specify threshold as an integer. Example: FRA_ THRESHOLD_ARCHSOURCE = 80
DELETE_ARCHSOURCE_THRESHOLD	Specify if archive log files should be deleted once the percentage threshold (THRESHOLD_ARCHSOURCE) on the primary server is reached. Once the threshold is reached oldest archive log files are deleted first. There is no verification that these log files have been backed up. Dbvisit Standby does not perform backups, this should be configured outside the Dbvisit Standby product. Possible Values: Y Let Dbvisit Standby delete archive log files once percentage threshold is met. N Dbvisit Standby will only alert when percentage threshold is met (no archive log files will be deleted). If you are not sure, set to N. Example: DELETE_ARCHSOURCE = N This setting has no influence whether (archive) log files are deleted for DAYS_TO_KEEP_ARCHSOURCE or NUM_ARCHSOURCE_TO_KEEP. These settings will delete (archive) log files once the percentage threshold is met.

7.2. Standby Database - AMM Settings

This section provides an overview of the variables that can be configured for the AMM module with regards to the Standby Database.

Variable Name	Meaning
ARCHDEST_MANAGEMENT	Specifies if the AMM module to manage the archive log files is turned on or off on the standby server. Possible Values: Y Enable the AMM module on the standby server. N (default) Disable the AMM module on the standby server. If you are not sure, set to Yes. Example: ARCHDEST_MANAGEMENT= Y
DAYS_TO_KEEP_ARCHDEST	Specifies the number of days to keep the Oracle log files on the standby server. After this, the log files will be removed from the server. This is specific to the Dbvisit Standby ARCHDEST location. Please see ARCHDEST in the Standby Variable section. To disable this setting, set to 0. If you are not sure, set to 7. Example: DAYS_TO_KEEP_ARCHDEST = 7
NUM_ARCHDEST_TO_KEEP	Specifies the number of archive log files to keep on the standby server. Log files greater than this number will be removed (oldest first). To disable this setting, set to 0. If you are not sure, set to 0 (disable). Example: NUM_ARCHDEST_TO_KEEP = 0
DELETE_ARCHDEST_THRESHOLD	Specifies if archive log files should be deleted once the percentage threshold (THRESHOLD_ARCHDEST) on the standby server is reached. Once the threshold is reached oldest (archive) log files are deleted first. There is no verification that these log files have been backed up, this (backups) is outside the scope of Dbvisit Standby Possible Values: Y Let Dbvisit Standby delete archive log files once percentage threshold is met. N Dbvisit Standby will only alert when percentage threshold is met (no log files will be deleted). If you are not sure, set to N. Example: DELETE_ARCHDEST = N This setting has no influence whether archive log files are deleted for DAYS_TO_KEEP_ARCHDEST or NUM_ARCHDEST_TO_KEEP. These settings will delete archive log files once the percentage threshold is met.
THRESHOLD_ARCHDEST	Specifies the threshold in percentage (%) of how much disk space may be taken up by the archive log files on disk before an alert is triggered on the standby server. This parameter is specific to the Dbvisit Standby ARCHDEST location A value of 80 means that if the 80% disk space threshold is reached, an alert will be triggered. If you are not sure, set to 80. Example: THRESHOLD_ARCHDEST = 80

8. SYS Logon Settings

Dbvisit Standby can be configured to make use of user authentication. The user will need the sysdba permission and it is recommended that if this method is required, that the user SYS be used.

Dbvisit Standby is not making use of connections to the database via the listener but is making local connections. Example connection string used is: sql> connect sys/<your_sys_password> as sysdba

Variables are sorted alphabetically in the table below

Variable Name	Meaning
SYS_LOGON	Dbvisit Standby does not require an Oracle password as it uses OS authentication by default. Example "connect / as sysdba". However, these variables can be used to enable Dbvisit Standby to logon as an SYS user using the sysdba role. Example "connect sys/password as sysdba" This may be required when SQLNET.AUTHENTICATION_SERVICES = (NTS) cannot be set or a password file cannot be used. The SYS_LOGON variable enables or disables this feature. Possible values are Y or N (default). If you are not sure, set to N or leave blank. Example: SYS_LOGON = N
SYS_USER	Name of the user to logon to the database. It is recommended to use the "SYS" user when using these variables. Is only affected if SYS_LOGON = Yes. If you are not sure leave it blank. Example: SYS_USER = sys
_SYS_PASSWD	Use this variable to specify the password of SYS_USER. Is only effective if SYS_LOGON = Yes and SYS_USER is set. Example: _SYS_PASSWD = not_tiger
SYS_LOGON_STRING	The logon string to the database. It is not recommended to change this from the default value "as sysdba". Only change this if instructed by Dbvisit Support. Is only effective if SYS_LOGON = Y and SYS_USER are set. The default value is "as sysdba" Example: SYS_LOGON_STRING = as sysdba

9. Advanced Settings

This section contains more information about the Advanced configuration variables available in the Dbvisit standby configuration (DDC) file.

Variables are sorted alphabetically in the table below

Variable Name	Variable Description
APPLY_DELAY_LAG_MINUTES	This parameter can be used to specify a Delay (also known as a LAG or planned GAP) between the primary and standby database. Archive logs will be sent to the standby database as normal (based on the schedule used) but if this value is set, Dbvisit Standby will recover the standby database using an until time clause where the value specified for this parameter is deducted from the current time. The effect of this is that the Standby database is only recovered up until the current time minus this lag. Example if you specify a value of 10 (which is a 10-minute delay), the standby database will always be recovered to the current time minus 10minutes, which if the current time is 2 pm, the standby will be recovered till 1:50pm. Note that the archive logs are still transferred to the standby server as normal without delay. When this variable is greater than 0, you must set variable DMN_MONITOR_INTERVAL_DR = 0. Because archivelogs are applied with delay, it is no longer needed to monitor newly received archivelogs When this variable is greater than 0, MAX_TIMES_TRIED can no longer be relied on to alert when there are no new archives to be applied to the standby database. Use TRANSFER_LOG_GAP_THRESHOLD instead for alerting. To turn of this delay (LAG) set: APPLY_DELAY_LAG_MINUTES=0 Important If you want to use this option to enable a delay in applying archived redo on the standby, it is required that timezone on the Primary and Standby operating systems be exactly the same. Changing timezones should be done with caution and it is recommended to review the Oracle documentation or contact Oracle support before making any timezone changes to a database environment. Ideally, timezones should be configured before database creation. Example: To set a 100minute delay, set the following value: APPLY_DELAY_LAG_MINUTES=100
APPLY_ARCHIVE_RMAN	By default, Dbvisit Standby is making use of SQL commands to perform standby database recovery. The recover command is executed from SQL*Plus and the requested archive log is provided for recovery. When running this in an Oracle RAC environment, where the standby database will need to recover using multiple threads, the recovery process - especially in busy systems or systems where many archive logs needs to be applied, can take longer than it would, if as an alternative the recovery process is making use of RMAN recovery commands. To enable the use of RMAN recovery commands on the standby database to perform recovery, set APPLY_ARCHIVE_RMAN=Y in the DDC file. The default value is APPLY_ARCHIVE_RMAN=N This parameter will only have an effect on the standby database. The archive logs will still be shipped to the standby database and located in the Dbvisit Standby ARCHDEST. From here when Dbvisit Standby is executed on the standby database, the archive logs will be catalogued in the controlfile and then applied using RMAN recovery commands. This process does require that the archive logs on the standby be uncompressed in the ARCHDEST, which will require more storage for the ARCHDEST to hold the uncompressed archive logs. Setting APPLY_ARCHIVE_RMAN=Y can be used for non-RAC databases as well.
ARCHTMP	Specifies a temporary location on the primary server to copy archives from ASM before shipping them to the standby, in case of an ASM primary database. Defaults to ARCHSOURCE /ARCHDEST If using ASM storage for the primary database, this will also be the directory on the primary server where Dbvisit Standby will extract the ASM archive log files to, before shipping them to the standby server. Also, the ARCHTMP location must have full read/write permission for the user and group when ASM is used. If you need to use a location to temporary copy archives different from the location on the standby server specified by ARCHDEST, you may specify a different location using ARCHTMP variable
ARCHIVE_LOG_GAP_THRESHOLD	Dbvisit Standby will generate an alert if the log gap from the Dbvisit Standby "log gap report" (can be run with the command: dbvisit -i) exceeds this specified value. Set to 0 to turn off Note: The "Archive Log Gap" is the difference between the last archived sequence on the primary and the last applied sequence on the standby database. The archive log gap should be near 0 (except when APPLY_DELAY_LAG_MINUTES is used).
CASCADE	Specifies cascading database configuration when the source database is a standby database Defaults to N Example: CASCADE=Y
COMPARE_CHECKSUM	Determines if Dbvisit Standby will perform a checksum and compare the checksum on the file that has been transferred. If the checksum is not the same, Dbvisit Standby will alert. Possible Values: Y Dbvisit Standby will calculate the checksum on the file being transferred and will alert if the transferred file is not the same as the original file. N Dbvisit Standby will not perform a checksum. It is not guaranteed that the transferred file will be the same as the original file. Default value: N Example: COMPARE_CHECKSUM=Y If the checksum is enabled and checksum difference detected during transfer, dbvctl will fail with an error referring to checksum difference"
CP	External copy method, to transfer the (archive) log files from the source server to the standby server. It is recommended to use a secure copy method (SCP). The external copy method must be configured so that no password or passphrase is required. Set this parameter when not using Dbvnet. Example: CP = /usr/bin/scp
DAYS_TO_KEEP_TRACE	Specifies the number of days to keep Dbvisit Standby trace files. Trace files are generated every time Dbvisit Standby is executed. Trace files are only used for Dbvisit Standby support. Dbvisit Standby will delete trace files that are older than this variable value (in days). Works in conjunction with NUM_TRACE_TO_KEEP. Least restrictive setting applies between DAYS_TO_KEEP_TRACE and NUM_TRACE_TO_KEEP To turn off, set to 0. Example: DAYS_TO_KEEP_TRACE=3
DBVISIT_DEBUG	Dbvisit debug level Defaults to 1 Set to 0 to turn tracing of (not recommended) Set to 1 for standard tracing Set to 2 for extended tracing Example: DBVISIT_DEBUG=2
HOSTNAME_CMD	If Dbvisit Standby is part of a cluster and a different hostname should be used instead of the regular hostname returned by the current server, then this variable can be used to specify a command to set the source hostname for Dbvisit Standby. For example, When Dbvisit Standby is used in a cluster and the virtual cluster name should be used instead of the physical hostname. Example: HOSTNAME_CMD=/usr/local/bin/hostname.sh The above script can then contain the following: #!/bin/bash echo "server1" The name "server1" should be able to resolve to an IP address. In case of a cluster configuration (example Oracle Fail-Safe), this name should resolve to the Cluster IP address. If the HOSTNAME_CMD file is specified but does not exist on the server, then Dbvisit Standby ignores the HOSTNAME_CMD and uses the regular method to obtain the hostname of the server. This is useful if the standby server is a regular server and the default hostname is sufficient.
HOSTNAME_CMD_DR	If Dbvisit Standby is part of a cluster and a different hostname should be used instead of the regular hostname returned by the current server, then this variable can be used to specify a command to set the destination hostname for Dbvisit Standby. For example, When Dbvisit Standby is used in a cluster and the virtual cluster name should be used instead of the physical hostname. Example: HOSTNAME_CMD_DR=/usr/local/bin/hostname.sh The above script can then contain the following: #!/bin/bash echo "server1" The name "server1" should be able to resolve to an IP address. In case of a cluster configuration (example Oracle Fail-Safe), this name should resolve to the Cluster IP address. If the HOSTNAME_CMD_DR file is specified but does not exist on the server, then Dbvisit Standby ignores the HOSTNAME_CMD_DR and uses the regular method to obtain the hostname of the server. This is useful if the standby server is a regular server and the default hostname is sufficient.
NTF_TASKS_SHOW	Comma separated list of tasks to be shown in GUI Default value: CSD,SYNC,ACTIONS,FUNCTIONS CSD - Create Standby database SYNC - Synchronise Standby Database ACTIONS - Database actions: start, stop, activate, switchover, open read only, upgrade, update DDC FUNCTIONS - Selected functions (recreate standby control file, refresh standby datafile) TRANSFER - Dbvisit transfer logs on the primary APPLY - Dbvisit apply logs on the standby Example: NTF_TASKS_SHOW = CSD,SYNC,ACTIONS,FUNCTIONS,TRANSFER,APPLY
NUM_TRACE_TO_KEEP	Specifies the number of Dbvisit Standby trace files to keep. Trace files are generated every time Dbvisit Standby is executed. Trace files are only used for Dbvisit support. Dbvisit Standby will delete trace files greater than this number. Deletes oldest trace file first. Works in conjunction with DAYS_TO_KEEP_TRACE. Least restrictive setting applies between DAYS_TO_KEEP_TRACE and NUM_TRACE_TO_KEEP To turn off, set to 0. Example: NUM_TRACE_TO_KEEP=100
RSH	External remote shell method for Dbvisit Standby operation. It is recommended to use SSH (secure shell). The external remote shell method must be configured so that no password or pass phrase is required. Set this parameter when not using Dbvnet Example: RSH = /usr/bin/ssh
RUN_INSPECT	If this value is set (default is yes) Dbvisit Standby will Automatically run "dbvisit -i" command on the primary server every time Dbvisit executes. The command "dbvisit -i" collects the archive and transfer log gap information from the standby database and saves this information for reporting purposes in the Dbvisit Standby repository. This parameter can be set to "N" (No) which will disable the run of "dbvisit -i" command at the beginning of each Dbvisit Standby execution on the primary server. This can improve the execution time of Dbvisit Standby on the primary server, but there will be no reporting information available in the Dbvisit Standby repository. The default value is Y Example: RUN_INSPECT = Y
SEND_HEARTBEAT	Determines if a daily heart beat message is sent from source server to ensure Dbvisit is still scheduled. Y = Dbvisit sends daily heartbeat email. N = Dbvisit will not send daily heartbeat email. Warning: If set to N, you must have an alternative method to ensure Dbvisit is processing is active.
SEND_HEARTBEAT_DR	Determines if a daily heart beat message is sent from destination server to ensure Dbvisit is still scheduled. Y = Dbvisit sends daily heartbeat email. N = Dbvisit will not send daily heartbeat email. Warning: If set to N, you must have an alternative method to ensure Dbvisit is processing is active.
SEND_HEARTBEAT_TIME24	This variable will indicate the time of the day the Heartbeat (Email) will be sent. The Heartbeat is a daily email to Dbvisit Standby is active. This will be sent from the primary and standby server. The time is in 24-hour format and should be between 0000 and 2359 and must be 4 digits. If this variable is not present, an email will be sent at the start of each day (midnight). Multiple times separated by comma can be set. It is recommended that you also review the E-Mail setup variables. Example: SEND_HEARTBEAT_TIME24 = 0700 Example with multiple times specified: SEND_HEARTBEAT_TIME24 = 0700:1300:1800
TRANSFER_LOG_GAP_THRESHOLD	ARCHIVE_LOG_GAP_THRESHOLD is the difference between the last archived sequence on the primary and the last applied sequence on the standby database. The archive log gap should be near 0 (except when APPLY_DELAY_LAG_MINUTES is used). TRANSFER_LOG_GAP_THRESHOLD is the difference between the last archived sequence on the primary and the last sequence transferred to the standby server. The transfer log gap should be near 0. The dbvisit -i <database> command must be scheduled for these settings to be effective. Example: ARCHIVE_LOG_GAP_THRESHOLD = 0 TRANSFER_LOG_GAP_THRESHOLD = 4

These settings are not present in the DDC file but can be added if required.

Variables are sorted alphabetically in the table below

Variable	Variable Description
ALERT_IF_STDBY_READ_ONLY	When the standby database is in READ ONLY mode, the latest changes (archive logs) cannot be applied. This setting determines the action taken when Dbvisit Standby is executed on the standby server. Possible Values: Y (Default Value) Dbvisit Standby will alert if the standby database is in READ ONLY mode and Dbvisit Standby is run to apply archive logs (Default). N Dbvisit Standby will NOT alert if the standby database is in READ ONLY mode and Dbvisit Standby is run to apply archive logs. Dbvisit Standby will exit normally with a message in the Dbvisit Standby log file. Example: ALERT_IF_STDBY_READ_ONLY=N
AMM_CHECK_TRANSFERRED	Dbvisit Archive Log Management Module (AMM) checks if an archive log has been transferred to the standby server(s) before deleting it. The default value for this parameter is "Y". Example: AMM_CHECK_TRANSFERRED = Y
AMM_PROCESS_MULTIPLE_ARCH_DEST	Dbvisit Archive Log Management Module (AMM) processes multiple archive destinations when deleting logs on the primary server. Set this parameter to "N" to disable this functionality. Example: AMM_PROCESS_MULTIPLE_ARCH_DEST = Y
APPLY_READ_ONLY	This parameter only applies to the standby database. By Oracle concept, If the standby database is in READ ONLY mode, any attempt to apply archivelog on the standby database will result in error, because recovery can happen only in MOUNT mode. If this parameter is set to Y, the standby database will be forcefully restarted into MOUNT mode if it was in READ ONLY mode so as the archivelogs can be applied. Example: APPLY_READ_ONLY = Y Note: If you set this parameter to Y and want the database to stay in read-only mode for an extended period of time, you need to disable the daemon process on standby or the apply scheduled job (crontab, windows scheduler). Otherwise the database will be immediately restarted in MOUNT if it is found in READ ONLY state during archivelog apply.
CKSUM	As of 8.0.18, the parameter FORCE_USE_CKSUM_EXTERNAL was removed and not used. It was not recommended to use this parameter. External checksum utility will be used if CKSUM is set to a full path of this external utility. Example: CKSUM=/usr/bin/cksum
DBV_LAST_RUN_OFFSET	For multiple standby databases, Dbvisit AMM module checks if an archive log has been transferred to a standby server before deleting it if Dbvisit Standby has run at least once within the last DBV_LAST_RUN_OFFSET days The default value is 1
DBV_PRE_POST_PROC_NAME	(This parameter was previously called as DBV_PRE_POST_PROC and has been changed to DBV_PRE_POST_PROC_NAME from Dbvisit Standby Version 9.0.18) The name of the pre- and post-processing script. If a different named script should be called, then this variable can be set. If no pathname is given the Dbvisit Standby install directory is assumed. Default value Windows: dbv_pre_post_processing.cmd Default value Non Windows: dbv_pre_post_processing.sh See the Pre- and post-processing section for more information. Example: DBV_PRE_POST_PROC_NAME = rman_backup.cmd
DBV_RECOVERY_PARALLELISM	May take values PARALLEL to enforce parallel recovery of the database, or NOPARALLEL to enforce serial recovery of the database. If not specified then reset to NOPARALLEL for databases version 11.1 and higher Defaults to none Example: DBV_RECOVERY_PARALLELISM = PARALLEL
INITIATE_DBVISIT_ON_STANDBY	Setting this to Y: Dbvisit Standby when executed on the primary, will initiate Dbvisit Standby on the standby server as the last step of running Dbvisit Standby on the primary server. will mean Dbvisit Standby should no longer be scheduled on the standby server (as it is now initiated from the primary server). Dbvisit Standby will no longer function as two independent processes with independent alerting and a new strategy must be in place to ensure that notification is received in case of a failure. It is therefore recommended to set ARCHIVE_LOG_GAP_THRESHOLD or TRANSFER_LOG_GAP_THRESHOLD and to schedule, the Dbvisit Standby log gap report (dbvisit -i) on the primary to alert if the standby database gets too far behind the primary database. Warning: Only set this to Y if you understand the implications and make sure you test this in your specific configuration. Possible Values are Y or N. Example: INITIATE_DBVISIT_ON_STANDBY=N
LOCK_MAX_TIME_SEC	If Dbvisit Standby detects a lock on a file that it is trying to process, this parameter specifies the maximum wait in seconds Dbvisit Standby will retry the lock. If the file is still locked after LOCK_MAX_TIME_SEC, then Dbvisit Standby will raise an alert. Example: LOCK_MAX_TIME_SEC=10
LOCK_RETRY_TIMEOUT_MILLISEC	If Dbvisit Standby detects a lock on a file that it is trying to process, this parameter specifies the wait in milliseconds before Dbvisit Standby will attempt to access the file again. On some platforms the minimum timeout time may be 1 second. Example: LOCK_RETRY_TIMEOUT_MILLISEC=500
LOG_FILE_ROTATE_MAX	Dbvisit Standby log files are will automatically according to these settings.
LOG_FILE_SIZE_MAX_MB	LOG_FILE_ROTATE_MAX indicates how many backups are made of the log files before it is overwritten. The first backup will be dbvisit_hist.log.1 The second backup will be dbvisit_hist.log.2 etc. LOG_FILE_SIZE_MAX_MB indicates the size of the log file before the log file is rotated as above. Example: LOG_FILE_ROTATE_MAX = 5 LOG_FILE_SIZE_MAX_MB = 5
LOG_SWITCH_WAIT_IN_SEC	Wait in seconds to allow log switch to occur. If it is found that the archives are not yet completely written to when Dbvisit Standby tries to transfer them to the standby server, then this parameter may be increased. If Oracle has not completed the log switch before Dbvisit Standby attempts to compress and transfer the logs, Dbvisit Standby will raise an error message. Default value: 3 Example: LOG_SWITCH_WAIT_IN_SEC=3
MAX_TIMES_TRIED	Specifies the number of times that Dbvisit Standby should attempt to apply the missing log file before raising an error. Note this number is also used to raise an error if Dbvisit Standby cannot be started in case a previous scheduled Dbvisit Standby is still running. Ensure that this number is not too low and not too high. If you are unsure, set the value to 3 and increase to 6 or 9 as needed. Example (default) value: MAX_TIMES_TRIED = 3
MIN_ARCH_TO_KEEP	Number of archive logs Dbvisit AMM module keeps on the server when deleting logs, regardless of AMM settings The default value is 3
OS_ENV_VAR	When the OS_ENV_VAR* is set, it will be set as an OS environment variable by dbvctl OS_ENV_VAR1 Comma separated OS variable name,value to set on the Source OS_ENV_VAR2 Comma separated OS variable name,value to set on the Source OS_ENV_VAR1_DR Comma separated OS variable name,value to set on the Destination OS_ENV_VAR2_DR Comma separated OS variable name,value to set on the Destination Example: OS_ENV_VAR1 = A, 100 Will set env var A to value 100 when executing dbvctl A = 100
REMOVE_TEMP_FILES	Determines if Dbvisit Standby temporary files (.dbv) should be deleted after Dbvisit Standby processing. Possible Values: Y (Default Value) Dbvisit Standby temporary files will be deleted. N Dbvisit Standby temporary files will NOT be deleted. Example: REMOVE_TEMP_FILES=Y
RETRIES_WAIT_IN_SEC	Time in seconds to wait before performing another transfer if a previous transfer failed. Default value: 5 Example: RETRIES_WAIT_IN_SEC=10
RMAN_DBF_BACKUP_TYPE	The CSD process is by default making use of RMAN (when direct transfer is not used). To be more specific COMPRESSED BACKUPSET is used for the backups. In certain scenarios it might be required to adjust the backup option to not use compressed backups or to rather use image copies. This can be done by setting the RMAN_DBF_BACKUP_TYPE parameter in the primary server DDC file. This parameter can be set to specify if a backupset, compressed backupset or image copies are to be used during the CSD operation: Valid options are: RMAN_DBF_BACKUP_TYPE=AS BACKUPSET RMAN_DBF_BACKUP_TYPE=AS COMPRESSED BACKUPSET RMAN_DBF_BACKUP_TYPE=AS COPY
RSH_OPTIONS	Allow for different secure shell (ssh) options. For example (Unix/Linux): -l login_name Specifies the user to log in as on the remote machine. See man ssh in Unix and Linux for ssh options. See sexec on Windows for ssh options. Example: RSH_OPTIONS=-l oracle2
SERVICE_USED	The variable has the default value of N. If there are any services in the database running the value has to be set to Y by editing the DDC either by using the GUI console or by using a text editor This will result in adding a -f/force flag to the srvctl "stop instance" command to avoid below error. CRS-2529: Unable to act on 'ora.cpms.db' because that would require stopping or relocating 'ora.cpms.cpmsdb_srv.svc', but the force option was not specified Example: If service is used in database check using the below command. oracle@kiwi1[/home/oracle]: srvctl status service -d DEV -s DEVSRV Service DEVSRV is running on instance(s) DEV1 If you see any service running change the value of the variable to Y
SERVICE_USED_DR	The variable has the default value of N. If there are any services in the database running the value has to be set to Y by editing the DDC either by using the GUI console or by using a text editor This will result in adding a -f/force flag to the srvctl "stop instance" command to avoid below error. CRS-2529: Unable to act on 'ora.cpms.db' because that would require stopping or relocating 'ora.cpms.cpmsdb_srv.svc', but the force option was not specified Example: If service is used in database check using the below command. oracle@kiwi1[/home/oracle]: srvctl status service -d DEV -s DEVSRV Service DEVSRV is running on instance(s) DEV1 If you see any service running change the value of the variable to Y
SHOW_TIME_IN_TRACE	Shows the timestamp in the trace file. There is no significant overhead in displaying the timestamp in the trace file. Possible Values: Y Will show current timestamp on every line in the trace file. N Will not show timestamp in the trace file. Default value: Yes Example: SHOW_TIME_IN_TRACE=Y
SHOW_TRACEFILE_NAME	Determines when to show the trace file name. Possible Values: Y Will show trace file name in alerts, errors and success emails. N Will show trace file name in alerts and errors. Default value: N Example: SHOW_TRACEFILE_NAME=N
SHUT_WIN_SERVICE	Specifies if windows service should be shut down when the standby database is shut down during creating of standby database and Graceful Switchover Do not set or modify this setting if not instructed by Dbvisit Support. The default value is N
SSH_CONNECT_TIMEOUT	Optional Parameter - This parameter is set by default to 5 and is used to timeout SSH idle connection. Default is set to 5 seconds. This parameter can be changed in the DDC file. Example: SSH_CONNECT_TIMEOUT=10
SSH_SKIP_OUTPUT	If the ssh connection contains an ssh banner, then Dbvisit Standby will not be able to interpret the data correctly. This setting can be used to tell Dbvisit Standby to ignore the ssh banner. For example if the ssh banner is as follows: ************************************************************************* NOTICE TO USERS This computer system is the private property of xxxxx. It is for authorized use only. Users (authorized or unauthorized) have no explicit or implicit expectation of privacy. By using this system, the user consents to such interception, monitoring, recording, copying, auditing, inspection, and disclosure at the discretion of such personnel or officials. Unauthorized or improper use of this system may result in civil and criminal penalties and administrative or disciplinary action, as appropriate. By continuing to use this system you indicate your awareness of and consent to these terms and conditions of use. LOG OFF IMMEDIATELY if you do not agree to the conditions stated in this warning. ************************************************************************ Then the following can be set to ignore this: Example: SSH_SKIP_OUTPUT=* This will skip the output lines beginning with * and ending with *
SSH_SKIP_OUTPUT_LINES	By setting this parameter to a number value, that number of lines will be ignored during ssh connections. Example: If your ssh banner is 5 lines, you can specify: SSH_SKIP_OUTPUT_LINES=5 The first 5 lines of ssh output (which will include the banner) will be skipped.
STANDBY_ARCHIVELOG_NAME	Optional Parameter - This parameter is not set by default in the DDC file and the default value will be used for the naming of the archive logs inside the Dbvisit ARCHDEST location on the standby database server. Note: This is the format Dbvisit Standby will be using on the standby server inside the ARCHDEST location and is not related to the database archive log format. The default archive log format in the Dbvisit Standby ARCHDEST is %t_%s_%r.arc ( "<thread>_<sequence>_<resetlogs_id>.arc"). If required the new parameter STANDBY_ARCHIVELOG_NAME can be set in the DDC to specify a new format. Example if you want to set the format so that the database name PROD is in the archive log format name, you can set the following in the DDC file where you append the database name as part of the format: STANDBY_ARCHIVELOG_NAME=PROD_%t_%s_%r.arc Important - %t, %s and %r must be set. Dbvisit Standby will be looking for logs with this format on the standby server during recovery. If your logs were in a different format, make sure they are renamed to the new format you specify - if you modify it. The default value will be used if this parameter is not set in the DDC file (this is the recommended option)
SYNCH_DBVISIT_INSTALL	Specifies whether the Dbvisit Standby configuration file between the primary and standby server should automatically be checked for differences, and if the standby Dbvisit Database Configuration File (DDC) file is different than the primary server DDC file, the primary server DDC file will be copied to the Standby server, overwriting it's DDC file. The primary server DDC file is seen as the "master" DDC file and if any changes are to be made to a configuration, it should be done on the primary side. Changes to the Standby DDC file will be lost (overwritten) if this value is set to the default which is "Yes". If turned off (No), then the Dbvisit Standby installation can be manually synchronised with command: dbvisit -d <DDC> -c Possible Values: Y Compare Primary and Standby DDC files and synchronise differences (Standby file will be overwritten with primary DDC file if any differences are found) N The Primary and Standby DDC files are not compared or synchronised. Example (default - recommended) value: SYNCH_DBVISIT_INSTALL = Y
TRANSFER_RETRIES	Determines the number of retries when the checksum of the transferred log file does not match the original file. When the checksum does not match, the file will be transferred again. If the checksum does not match after TRANSFER_RETRIES attempts, an alert will be raised. Default value: 2 Example: TRANSFER_RETRIES=2
USE_LONG_SERVER_NAME	Dbvisit Standby uses short names for the primary and standby servers set by SOURCE and DESTINATION respectively. To use fully qualified domain names for the SOURCE and DESTINATION settings set to Y. Default value is N Example: USE_LONG_SERVER_NAMES = N
WIN_SERVICE_WAIT	How long in seconds to wait for the Windows Oracle service to start or stop before starting or stopping the database. Default value: 10 Example: WIN_SERVICE_WAIT=10